Fire Eating

[jayrodin]

Made up some torches and started fire eating today. AMAZING. I can do the whole licking thing and transfer the flame from one tourch to light another and stick the torch down into my mouth. I'm wonder how do you put it out in your mouth??? Does anyone have any other tips or tricks they would like to share? Thankxs.

[Rachel Peters]

First: What sort of fuel/material are you using? How are you making the torches?
(I started by using things I shouldn't have been using, and it effected the burn -- heat and length of burn/absorption of fuel)

Tip head back, torch facing down (heat rises, so you'll get the cool, bottom end of the fire). Breath out slowly and gently, close your mouth around it, but not entirely, as you don't want to touch your lips to the hot metal stuff of the torch. gently breath out the entire time. It should be out by now.

Should you catch ablaze, scream like a school girl, stop, drop, and roll, then brag to your friends that your burned off all your facial hair.

[Stephon]

This is going to end badly. . .

[Hunter]

I started eating fire a couple years ago; so I suppose I'm as qualified as anyone to condense all the advice you're about to get into one post.

1) You're stupid.

2) You're stupid and stubborn? All right.

3) The tone of your post sort of implies a lack of respect for fire eating. I don't think I'm alone in saying that's potentially the most dangerous thing that could happen to a fire eater.

4) It is ridiculous to think you can learn how to eat fire from a book. It's like any other how-to book; except that there aren't really second tries involved. You need to find a practicing professional to mentor you. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding one in your travels.

5) Never practice alone. You may think you can keep a level head while it's on fire and you can't breathe in; but it's a somewhat different experience when it happens.

6) Having badmouthed books, here's a good one: http://www.youcaneatfire.com/
It goes fairly deep into safety measures and the physics of thermal lag and the like.

7) Read through the old threads here on p-net. Especially the ones involving slow poisoning and chemical pneumonia. These are good ones to be familiar with.

8) From what I hear, fire is getting harder and harder to do (within legal bounds) on the street. Amateurs burning themselves or their audiences will only make it worse. Just remember you're not just affecting yourself.

9) If you're doing any shows, also look up the threads on fire insurance.

10) Don't die.

[jayrodin]

Rachel - I'm using white gas. My torches are made out of a very light metal rod with a wooden handle and 100% cotton head fixed by white glue and barbs so it won't sling off. Thank you for letting me know. That is how I figured it was done but I wanted to be sure before I attempted it.

Hunter - I've reviewed the old forums already and studied everything from http://www.fyretr.com/ - a site which was recomended on the forum. Thank you for your concern. I am very careful. I actually practice next to a waterfall and wading pool down in a gorge in Ithaca NY. It is a very beatiful place with very little air movement or none at all most days. I hope this puts you at ease. And I understand what you were saying about the respect thing. I do sound somewhat like a very giddy child when I am excited about things. Perhaps you are trying to insinuate that fire eating has some sort of mystical power or spiritual quality? or perhaps you are just some sort of elitist, but I do not see any difference between juggling and fire eating except for the fact you can be hurt very badly fire eating and therefore you should take much more care and precaution when doing it. Hopefully in taking that care and precaution and studying everything I can find till I feel confident I'm going about things the right way and then asking questions when I'm unsure before taking the risk of figuring it out on my own shows this respect you are talking about and my good common sence has served me well.

Thank you for the advice guys.

[jesus]

This is going to end badly. . .

Ah Swami, one can only hope.

I kid, I kid.

Young mister jayrodin,
Judging by your posts and your web site you are very enthusiastic about your new life as a busker, and that great.
However in your last posting you come off with a lot of childish "I can do what I want" attitude:

or perhaps you are just some sort of elitist,

Settle down, go slow and don't take offense to people with experience suggesting that you take some extra precautions.

And as for:

but I do not see any difference between juggling and fire eating except for the fact you can be hurt very badly fire eating and therefore you should take much more care and precaution when doing it.

If you could try to explain this a little more clearly I would appreciate it because that seems like a fairly large differance to me.

Take care and remember, Itica is gorges!

[Stephon]

Originally posted by jayrodin
I do not see any difference between juggling and fire eating except for the fact you can be hurt very badly fire eating

I'm a bit thrown by that one, too.

By that logic, there's really no difference between bowling and Russian Roulette.

[Hunter]

Perhaps you are trying to insinuate that fire eating has some sort of mystical power or spiritual quality? or perhaps you are just some sort of elitist,

Nah, nothing mystical and as for elitiist I suppose I'd have to be elite at something first. I just mean to get across the fact that you're putting a flaming poisonous substance into your mouth. That's the sort of thing that ought to be afforded a bit of respect. Just my opinion I suppose.

Also, fyretr is a group for professional fire eaters. Assuming you got by Meph, there isn't anything near instruction for beginners there. Also I would wager they would mostly backup my first post; especially the part about finding a mentor.

I'm not trying to scare you away from anything; just trying to help thwart the good Swami's vision.

[jayrodin]

Hunter – Fyreter is for beginners. Please take a look at the “tips and information” section. It is written specifically for people who have no knowledge what so ever on fire eating. It guides you through everything from the difference between fuels to making your first torch to lighting the torch safety precautions, all that stuff. Perhaps it has been updated since you last looked at it. Please review it and tell me what you think.

I have noticed after reading many discussions on these forums that some people like to embellish quite a lot making things sound more dangerous than they really are. “By that logic, there's really no difference between bowling and Russian Roulette.” Ahem, I said there is no difference except that you can get hurt. In this situation my “logic” would say there is no difference except that you can get killed. I am fire eating here, not doing the human volcano. This was all in regards to the statement “The tone of your post sort of implies a lack of respect for fire eating. I don't think I'm alone in saying that's potentially the most dangerous thing that could happen to a fire eater.” I am sorry if this statement sounded very elitist to me. ‘Whoa to the great art of fire eating, I respect the.’. Should I be more careful and get my info straight before trying to fire eat? Yes, I believe so, that is what I’m talking to you people for. Do I owe it some sort of solemn respect and esteem? Haha, well… I did appreciate a lot of what you had to say hunter. I had already studied everything minus the insurance (I do not plan on performing this anytime soon) and that book so I’ll look into that stuff.

Perhaps when you all first read what I had to say you jumped to the conclusion that I’d just decided to go make up some torches and dip them in whatever fuel I could find and then just go for it without educating myself what so ever. In this regard I understand your responses, especially the “you are stupid” response, and do appreciate them. However I did read everything on these forums that I could find as well as surfing the web and taking notes, and reviewed them until I was confident in trying certain things. I was not clear on how to put the torch out in your mouth. I had a theory and my theory proved to be correct but I was unsure so I asked before taking that serious risk.

I still feel confident in learning this through what knowledge is out there on the web. Please review the tips and information section in http://fyereter.com. This is the site I have found most helpful and then please identify the risk I am taking in learning this on my own and what a mentor could protect me from. And Remember I am not doing the human volcano only fire eating. I would really really super duper mighty mouse kunfu kick appreciate this.

I am very entusiastic about street performing. I'm making it my life. I LOVE IT and want to be the very best I can be. Thank you for your help.

Love and Respect

[Isabella]

Mentor's usefulness

As far as wondering if a mentor is useful in fire-eating, rather than learning it from internet "tips" and "guides for beginners"...


ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?????


First - I have been a fire-eater for fourteen years. I know many professional fire-eaters and it's one of the skills I use extensively to make my living. Count so far - one dangerous burn to myself (eleven years ago), one "incident" with an audience member (last year) and a couple of close calls where luck was with me. Still not a bad record for doing it nearly every weekend for that long (what's the safety record at the average non-desk day job?). I also have taught fire-eating to four other performers in my show, and teach it yearly to a special seminar of graduating theatre majors at a small liberal arts college (university, to you non-Americans). So I've thought this through a lot.

The people who learn from me know me personally. They have either chosen to trust me from their own knowledge, or I've been effectively 'vouched' for by people they do trust and know in the case of the students. They know I know what I'm talking about. Who's writing this stuff on the internet? Do you know them personally? Are you truly understanding all of their instructions? Are there nuances you're missing or things you're misinterpreting? Who knows! And you sure can't ask them if you don't know who they are and they aren't watching you in person so they know you're carrying out the instructions exactly.

When practicing, it's possible to screw things up really badly in some very simple ways. For example, taking a flaming torch out of your mouth after you think you've extinguished it, looking up to soon and getting fire up your nose. Not pretty, not pleasant, and easily avoided with someone watching you and verbally coaching.

When you teach someone a new skill that carries a physical injury risk factor - acrobatics, fire skills, bullwhip, etc - you are responsible for their safety until they have truly mastered the skill. The people I teach to eat fire, I am responsible for checking up on them, making sure they aren't doing it drunk, that they understand it's not proper for them to teach it to someone else for awhile (they aren't qualified and it devalues the gift), that they remember how to do it and can call me up and clarify or come over and practice some more if they forget something. People who post how-to's on the internet for risky skills are abdicating this responsibility.

Finally, it's really easy when learning to accidentally set your hair or clothes on fire without realizing it for a few seconds. It's nice to have someone standing by with the wet towel and to tell you a strand of your hair is blowing in the wind.

Yes, there's stuff it's great to learn on the net. But fire-eating isn't one of those things. Why not polish up your own skill at something else until you're good enough to trade skills with a fire-eater?

Allison Williams

[Rachel Peters]

And I apologize for treating it so lightly when I replied on this thread, because I completely agree. Fire and "trial and error" aren't things you want to have in the same sentance. Fire, by its nature is always serious.

After seeing Allison's show, I was wishing Kalamazoo was closer to Toronto, for learning's sake. Mentorship is priceless.



-rp

[Hunter]

Only thing I wanted to add is yeah, sorry, Jay - I did not realize that went straight to Meph's beginners page; and I only vaguely remembered that such a thing existed. Chalk it up to careless web browsing on my part.

[Patrick Kelly]

Easy way out

The first time I say a woman eating fire the fluid dribbled all down her face. So did the fire. The good thing about doing it this way is you can skip the whole cancer thing associated with fire eating/blowing. Why stretch the pain out for months when you can get all over at once.





P.S. She survived with just a minimally burned face.

[jesus]

And today class I will begin teaching the online portion of our sword swallowing class...

In defense of the world before the internet, I learned to swallow swords by trial and error (with a very dull object) and eat fire (tourches made of coathanger and cotton mop head) alone in my back yard. And the only reading and research that I had done was to read "Step Right Up". (Which has since been renamed "Memoirs of a Sword Swallower")
Ah the good old days.
Sh!t, I think I just sounded old.

[jayrodin]

Honestly I don't get you guys. The general consensus back in 2001 (a thread started by Rachel Peters when she was learning to eat) was a mentor was great but hardly anyone had any qualms with learning it on your own and happily suggested books and other resources.

READ: http://www.performers.net/forums/sho...g&pagenumber=1

Has the nature of fire and fire eating really changed so much? or did everyone want poor Rachel Peters to burn!? : 0